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Early shellfishing was a subsistence occupation. Commercial production began with shrimp canning after the Civil War.

There are three types of shrimp available in Louisiana Gulf waters: the white (most important economically), the brown, and the pink. Louisiana has rich fishing waters, and although fishing accounts for less than 1 percent of the annual gross state product, the annual catch (by weight) landed in Louisiana is greater than that of any other state, except Alaska. Shrimp is the second largest catch by volume, but first in value.

Shrimp enter the bays and bayous of Louisiana from the depths of the Gulf of Mexico, coming in as larvae and clinging to the reedy underbursh where they eat dentrites (tiny pieces of decaying organic matter). By August, the shrimp fantails are large enough to allow emmigration into the Gulf again.

Shrimp have thick- muscled abdomens, which they contract rapidly in making their sudden, backward-swimming escapes. The shrimp meat served in numerous dishes is the curved muscle extracted from the abdomen. Shrimp are structurally similar to lobsters and crayfish, but lack enlarged pincers and are flattened laterally instead of horizontally. The animals are usually transparent or are green or brown in color.

With the temperature drops of the fall, a mass exodus to the Gulf takes place as the shrimp seek warmer waters. Shrimp boats trawl in the paths of the shrimp. In the early 1900's, along with the introduction of the trawl net from Atlantic waters, ice and canning led to the doubling to the shrimp harvest in just one year. The departure of the shrimp fleet is a great occasion. Festivals are held to celebrate the advent of harvest and the blessing of the fleet as family and friends journey into the bountiful Gulf waters.

Today, the oil industry causes concerns for shrimpers. A large oil spill, damaged piping, or debris could destroy wetlands that serve as shrimp growth areas.